Ottawa Senators: Can The Goaltending Help The Senators Again In 2017-18?

Last season, the goalies of the Ottawa Senators were a big part in why Ottawa made the playoffs. Add to that, the excellent defensive play Erik Karlsson, and the Senators were poised to do what many thought could not be done: make the playoffs.

Here we are, at the beginning of a new season. And, it seems like much of the same questions remain for the Senators. Can Craig Anderson play well enough to bring Ottawa back to the playoffs? Even better, will the Senators’ defense be strong enough in the few games that Karlsson will miss? Here we sit, almost a week into the season. The Ottawa Senators are 0-0-2, and only have two points.

Erik Karlsson has yet to step foot on the ice, but the Senators defense is holding their own. Sort of. In the first two games, the Senators have scored five goals. While that number doesn’t seem high right now, the number could grow exponentially with the talent on the roster. In fact, just looking at the results alone, one can see that the offense isn’t having that big an issue scoring at all.

Some may say “a loss is a loss. It doesn’t matter how you look at it.” They would be correct. However, these losses came during overtime and a shootout. How is this a positive thing? Well, it’s simple. For everything thrown at the Senators, the Senators offense has had an answer. What seems to be their weakness at the moment, is strictly on the backend.

The hockey season runs a long 82 game schedule. While the Ottawa Senators may be at the bottom of their division now, there is no reason for fans to throw in the towel. Yes, three players left the team in the offseason. However, that talent can be replaced. Johnny Oduya, for example, is a capable defenseman to replace Marc Methot (whom Vegas took in the expansion draft then traded to Dallas). Nate Thompson is certainly another player capable replacement for Viktor Stalberg who left for the KHL, or even a replacement for Tommy Wingles.

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Your Story: You have every reason to quit but don'tPaperback – February 22, 2018
by Michael A Fabber (Author)

The Coach Mike Fabber walks you through his life as a kid and how those trials and tribulations can give you the strength now to achieve any dream you have. This interactive book gives you the opportunity to dive into your life and see when you succeeded, achieved, bounced back, overcome and even on occasions lost. The goal of this book is to show we all have the power within to conquer any obstacle we desire and accomplish amazing feats. If one of us can, we all can.